I, Hogwarts Week Two

Chapter 500: Each One Goes Their Own Plan

October 27, 1996, 5 p.m.

Westminster Abbey, London.

As the largest Gothic building in the UK, it is known as one of the three major Gothic churches in Europe along with Notre Dame de Paris in France and St. Petersburg Cathedral in Russia.

When you enter the cathedral, the first thing that catches your eye is the huge Catholic chapel.

The interior is beautifully decorated, with the ribs of the arches densely decorated with carvings, and every detail is meticulously crafted, especially the many funnel-shaped floral decorations hanging from the arch, which add a delicate and mysterious beauty.

The large area of ​​stained glass around is gorgeous and colorful, and the light shines through the stained glass windows, creating a sacred and solemn atmosphere.

The fan-shaped dome roof was decorated with colorful flags with patterns of medieval knights' medals, and under the flags sat diplomats from various European countries.

Everyone looked serious, as if they were waiting for some great trial.

In my ears, the majestic sound of sirens came from far away.

It was a gloomy day, and the cold light of police lights penetrated the solemn air.

Slowly cross Westminster Bridge.

In the distance, the magnificent Houses of Parliament stand on the banks of the Thames, and under Big Ben, the last rays of the former empire are shrouded in dark clouds.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, the convoy slowly drove to the front of the church.

Hundreds of people had already gathered here, most of them were reporters from various countries and regions, as well as some protocol staff arranged by the city government.

Due to security reasons, ordinary people are not allowed to come here.

The reporters had bulges on their waists - some were holding cameras, while others were tightly gripping microphones, eager to record every detail.

This is a historic moment that has attracted global attention. The only other time it happened was when Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface during the last Apollo moon landing.

Everyone wanted to see clearly what the wizard's face looked like.

Is she, as described in bedtime stories, an old witch with faded looks and chickenpox all over her face?

After the police car stopped, the door slowly opened, and a man in prison uniform walked down under the escort of two police officers. His face was clearly captured by the camera and displayed in front of the global audience.

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

In an instant, countless flashes of light lit up.

However, to everyone's surprise, the wizard in the camera was not what they imagined. On the contrary, the wizard criminal looked like a middle-aged man with a haggard face and deep fatigue and confusion in his eyes. His hair was a little messy and his beard was thick, making him look a little unkempt. But it was hard to hide his former handsomeness.

This unexpected scene caused an uproar among the crowd and reporters at the scene.

Through the live broadcast on TV, people began to whisper and discuss the true identity of the wizard and the story behind him.

Reporters adjusted their angles one after another, trying to capture more details about this wizard criminal.

The wizard was escorted to the church door by several fully armed police officers with various medals on their chests. His hands were completely locked with some kind of metal sleeves, and his mouth was blocked by some kind of metal mask.

The prison uniform he was wearing was also specially made, more like the straitjackets worn by manic patients in mental hospitals.

My legs can only move in small increments, and I could fall if I walked a little faster.

The wizard was escorted and walked towards the church door with difficulty. Every step seemed extremely heavy.

Although he tried to remain calm, there was a hint of subtle fear in his eyes.

But it was obvious that when his eyes fell on the Muggle policeman beside him, they revealed a strong disdain.

From this we can see that what he feared was not the Muggles, but someone else.

The solemn atmosphere inside the church is breathtaking.

The judge and jury were already seated, awaiting the wizard's arrival.

Because of the straitjacket, the wizard walked very slowly.

It was a short journey and he finally reached the end after a few minutes.

When he appeared in the auditorium, the whole place fell silent, and everyone was staring at him.

The judge spoke first.

As a standard procedure of the court, the first step is naturally to verify the identity information.

"Jacob Levi," the nearly seventy-year-old chief justice said in a heavy voice.

But——just as he was about to say the next sentence.

Suddenly, a huge explosion sounded.

"boom!"

Immediately afterwards, the cathedral's stained glass was completely shattered.

Then, a cloud of black fog rushed in.

Accompanied by some perverse laughter.

A ball of green light came out and hit the wizard named Jacob Levi directly.

"Avada Kedavra--"

Not even a scream came out.

Like a lamp without power, the empty shell without soul fell to the ground.

In the black fog, the figure of the Death Eater emerged.

If there were any wizards present, they would have recognized him at a glance - Amycus Carrow, one of Voldemort's loyal lackeys.

He and his sister Alecto Carrow committed many bloody terrors during the First Wizarding War and were the most wanted criminals hunted by the Ministry of Magic.

He looked around perversely.

His eyes were full of cruelty and madness.

With a slight wave of the magic wand in his hand, several spells were cast.

It hit directly the Muggle police officer who was escorting Jacob Levi.

Then he walked past them and approached the representatives from various countries.

In front of him, the Armor Spell blocked the bullets from the task force that rushed into the auditorium.

The bullet seemed to be stuck in the mud and stopped a few inches in front of Amycus.

He stared at the Muggle army, which looked like clowns to him, with a crazy smile on his face.

Perhaps he was thinking about how he should kill these people.

"boom--"

Suddenly, behind him, a silver bullet pierced through Amycus's eyebrows.

The blood reflects the rotating bullet, flashing with industrial beauty.

"."

Amycus's expression was as if someone had pressed the pause button.

He fell to the ground in silence.

The pupil looked behind him.

He couldn't understand why - why those Muggles who were obviously petrified by him would break free from their restraints.

The moment his sight disappeared.

He seemed to see the policeman behind him, and one of the medals on his chest suddenly broke, and the debris fell to the ground.

------

Let’s go back to the previous day, October 26th, at nine o’clock in the morning.

Prime Minister's Office.

Mr. Harker was asking about his plans for the day.

"Bernard, who am I meeting this afternoon?"

Mr. Bernard slightly opened the file in his hand and replied: "Um--the Suffragettes, the British Federation of Women's Institutions, the London Working Men's Association, the Home Secretary, uh--and the Leader of the Conservative Party."

"Can we get those three associations to come together?" Mr. Harker pointed to his watch and said with great effort: "Compress the time, Bernard!"

"Of course no problem, Mr. Prime Minister." Bernard slowly smiled and dialed the phone at hand.

"So in the morning--"

As he was speaking, there was a knock on the office door.

In comes Sir Humphrey, the Cabinet Secretary.

He held a heavy document in his hands and walked to the desk in a listless state.

"What's the matter, Humphrey? You look like you've just been beaten up." The Prime Minister said cheerfully, and of course he knew the reason.

That Ming Dynasty diplomat was really good at talking. It was the first time that Humphrey was defeated in words, especially since the other party spoke in English.

This undoubtedly beat him up, and used the weapon he was most familiar with.

Sir Humphrey straightened his face and once again displayed his English gentleman style.

"They were not gentlemanly at all and would not budge on the price difference of a few pounds."

"We almost had a fight with the Foreign Minister at the negotiation table. As a senior civil servant, I..." He put the documents in his hand on the table.

"After all, we are at a disadvantage?" Mr. Harker stopped Sir Humphrey from making further excuses with just one sentence.

Indeed—he suffered a great loss.

In this negotiation, Britain not only lost billions of dollars, but also lost some technical data.

What they got in return were just some unverified "Dark Arts Defense Items."

And the number is extremely rare.

From the moment the negotiations began, Sir Humphrey felt that he had been taken advantage of.

"Strictly speaking, we are not at a disadvantage—" Mr. Hake paused. As an official, he has a longer-term vision than these civil servants. "Billions in exchange for the information and items of a brand new world. If we were to do this deal, we would never make it so easy. The price would at least be several times higher."

"Have all the things been delivered?"

"MI5 receiving it."

"Good," said Mr. Harker.

"Sir, I don't understand why we don't cooperate with Kingsley and the others?" Bernard spoke appropriately and asked the doubts in his heart.

Before this, they had contacted the wizards under Kingsley. Although the other party refused, business after all - it was about testing the other party's bottom line through repeated tugs of war. Bernard didn't understand why they gave up after just one test.

"Bernard..." Sir Humphrey pulled out a chair, sat down, and looked at the little angel Bernard. "What do you think is the most critical thing about this operation?"

"."

Bernard rolled his eyes around, and after a while he tentatively uttered a word, "Secret?"

"So who should we keep this secret from?"

"Our enemy?"

"Oh - Bernard," said Sir Humphrey with a stern voice, "of course not. Nato news reaches the Kremlin much faster than Number 10.

To the British, of course.”

"British?" Bernard was stunned for a moment, looking surprised.

"British wizards!" Sir Humphrey added. "Although we don't think so.

No one would think so.

The dark wizard who stirred up so much trouble seemed to be born in England, according to the public perception - without any evidence.

"That's a good word, Humphrey," the Prime Minister praised.

"Thank you." Humphrey smiled and nodded towards the Prime Minister.

"So, we have to keep this a secret from the British wizards?"

"Of course - most of the wizards in this country are servants of that man. Can you guarantee that the wizards who contact us will not leak the secrets?"

"What about us inside? I mean, wizards have so many magical methods. If someone's mouth is pried open and the tongue is grabbed..." Bernard made a gesture of being hanged and sticking out the tongue.

"Okay, Bernard, thank you for your wonderful performance." Humphrey glanced at him, then turned his gaze to Prime Minister Harker. "So MI5 has divided this operation into several parts, and each department is only responsible for one part. No one will know the complete plan, not even the Prime Minister. The only planner is sorry, I don't know who he is."

"I have always been against this plan," said Mr. Harker. "What if something goes wrong in any link? Or if there is a problem with the connection? You know what will happen tomorrow. The eyes of the whole world are on us. If something unexpected happens, we will not just be kicked out of this position."

"No, no, no, Mr. Prime Minister." Sir Humphrey shook his head. "It will work."

"Moreover, this plan spreads the responsibility evenly, and you don't know the full picture of the plan. If something regrettable really happens, everyone will bear the blame."

"Is this--bleaching?" Mr. Harker frowned.

"You could call it bleached gray," Bernard put in appropriately.

"Well! It looks like we've reached an agreement." Mr. Harker immediately became more cheerful.

“I can foresee, if our plan succeeds, a new future for Great Britain, Harker’s grand blueprint.

When a country is going downhill, someone has to be in the driving seat.

People will remember this leader’s name, just as they remember famous figures in history.”

"Oh—yes!" replied Sir Humphrey, waving his arms and smiling.

"Of course, now is not the time to celebrate." Mr. Harker came back to his senses from his grand blueprint and stared at the two of them with burning eyes. "Now - let's get started!"

Following the Prime Minister's order.

In addition to the headquarters at Scotland Yard, hundreds of police stations in the London area, including large municipal police stations, took action.

The Special Operations Department has three command groups: the Guard Command Group, the Counter-Terrorism Command Group, and the Security Command Group, all of which secretly entered combat positions.

The headquarters of the Joint Special Operations Task Force - the Department of Defense's Special Operations Agency - includes the Army Special Air Service Regiment, the 22nd Air Service Regiment, and the 21st Special Service Regiment.

The Royal Navy's Special Boat Regiment, the Joint Services' Special Reconnaissance Regiment, and the Special Support Group have all been stationed in London.

About one infantry division of the Royal Guards and about two infantry divisions based at a military base in the suburbs of London began to march towards London.

A squadron of Royal Air Force reconnaissance planes circled over the city twenty-four hours a day.

NATO satellites were pointed at London a few days ago, but the weather in the future may greatly reduce the usefulness of the satellites.

In short, the last glory of the empire, nearly 30,000 police, navy, army and air force troops entered London.

They were almost all the troops of this dying country, quickly mobilized, and any more - would take more time.

——The Prime Minister’s order was like an invisible chain, quickly tightening in every corner of London.

The rhythm of the city was forcibly disrupted. It was not like pressing the pause button, nor was it speeding up or retarding.

Citizens of London all felt a sense of unease, and the traffic volume on the streets had decreased significantly.

There were suddenly many strangers in the city.

They have upright postures and sharp eyes, which are totally different from the characteristics of a city dweller.

There are also more police than before.

This change is like dropping a drop of gray paint into clear water. It is not noticeable at first, but after stirring, the water gradually becomes turbid, and you can immediately feel the difference from before.

At Scotland Yard's headquarters, the atmosphere was tense to the extreme.

The director and his team are holding an emergency meeting to discuss response strategies. The large screen on the wall shows real-time surveillance footage from various areas of London, and every tiny movement is a concern for them.

At the same time, the three command groups of the Special Operations Department were also busy in their respective combat positions. The Security Command Group was responsible for coordinating the actions of various branches to ensure that there were no omissions; the Anti-Terrorism Command Group was making response plans for various possible terrorist attacks; and the Security Command Group was responsible for the safety of the Prime Minister and important officials, and no mistakes were allowed.

Inside the Joint Special Operations Task Force headquarters, the commanders of various special forces were nervously discussing the details of the operation.

The Royal Guards and the troops at the military base in the suburbs of London took off their military uniforms, put on casual clothes, and picked up cameras, banners, flags, and slogans that the city government had prepared long ago at Westminster Abbey.

All forces, all personnel, all agencies, and commands receive only parts of some grand plan.

Fighting alone is the most important part of this plan.

Except for the person who is strategizing.

As the night deepened, the streets of London grew quieter.

But beneath this silence, countless people are hiding their nervousness and expectations. They are all waiting, waiting for the moment that can change everything.

------

Let’s go back to October 27th, 11 o’clock in the morning.

The sky in London was clear blue in the morning, but now it is covered with dark clouds.

Alice drove her old Chevrolet sedan slowly across Westminster Bridge.

The buildings on both sides of the street are simple and elegant, and traces of history can be seen everywhere.

According to MI5, there is indeed a hidden safe house nearby, which is carefully set up by the ministry to deal with various emergencies. There is more than one such safe house in London. They are like secret fortresses hidden in the urban jungle, guarding the security of the country.

The location of the safe house is extremely confidential, and almost no one knows it except for personnel from a few special departments of MI5 and MI6.

This is not only a shelter, but also a complete combat base, with weapons, ammunition, medicine, food, etc., sufficient to deal with various emergencies.

After Alice parked the car, she walked towards the safe house with her two companions.

Knock on the door and wait for a response.

The person who opened the door was an English lady, her temperament was elegant and calm, forming a sharp contrast with the three women outside the door. Her golden brown hair shone in the sun, and she was wearing a luxurious long dress, the hem of which swayed gently with her movements.

"Hello, I'm here to see Mr. Smith." Alice said politely, her voice calm and firm.

(End of this chapter)